In my last blog, we learned about the coming rapture of the saints. It is the next blessed event on God’s great calendar. However, as you read Scripture, you will discover another great event that follows the rapture. It is often referred to as “the day of the Lord.” In fact, that exact phrase is used in our text this week.
“But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.” (1 Thessalonians 5:1–2)
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This phrase is found in both the Old and New Testaments. It is used 26 times in as many verses.
The prophet Isaiah spoke of “the day of the Lord.”
“Howl ye; for the day of the Lord is at hand; It shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. Therefore shall all hands be faint, And every man’s heart shall melt: And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; They shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: They shall be amazed one at another; Their faces shall be as flames. Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, Cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, To lay the land desolate: And he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.” (Isaiah 13:6–9)
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The Holy Spirit proclaimed through the prophet Jeremiah the following.
“For this is the day of the Lord God of hosts, A day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries: And the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood: For the Lord God of hosts hath a sacrifice In the north country by the river Euphrates.” (Jeremiah 46:10)
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In the minor prophets, each use of this phrase is directly related to God’s destruction and judgment upon mankind. Additionally, there is always a warning of its imminent arrival.
When we come to the New Testament, the Holy Spirit uses it again. In 1 Corinthians 5:5, the Holy Spirit instructs believers to “deliver” unrepentant fellow believers into Satan’s hand so that their “spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” 2 Corinthians 1:14 speaks of unity which exists among believers even “in the day of the Lord Jesus.” However, in our text and 1 Peter 3:10, we are warned that the “day of the Lord” will come suddenly without warning.
Please note something interesting in our text concerning the “day of the Lord.” If you know Scripture and especially the teachings of Christ, you will know that “the times and the seasons” leading up to the “day of the Lord” are vividly described. The Holy Spirit explicitly states that He did not need to write these believers about “the times and the seasons.”
“But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of Heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” (Matthew 24:36–39)
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Christ gave us two significant characteristics of His coming, also known as “the day of the Lord.” The first was that no one knows the time of His appearance, not even the angels. The only person Who knows the exact date Christ will return is God the Father. He alone holds that information.
The second is this. The days leading up to Christ’s return are marked by the same activity which led to Noah’s flood. Christ noted that humanity will be consumed with “eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage,” just as when “Noe entered the ark.”
His description gives two thoughts that help us understand that “the day of the Lord” is closer than ever. The days of Noah are depicted as exceeding evil days.
“And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” (Genesis 6:5–8)
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In the days leading up to Noah’s flood, the “wickedness of man was great,” and “every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Note some of the headlines even as I write this blog. I contend we are pretty much there in today’s society.
Transgender athlete and gender-affirming surgery bills sweep through state legislatures nationwide
I could list more of the same, but I believe you understand. Never before have we seen so many people doing evil. Every day, we are confronted with men and women doing only what they imagine in their own hearts. Sin and wickedness are nothing new. And, as we know, there was a time when God brought judgment upon the earth for it. However, the coming “day of the Lord” will differ significantly from God’s judgment via the Great Flood during Noah’s day. The “day of the Lord” is when God Himself will come down and render judgment personally. Therefore, so many Old Testament passages speak of it as a terrible day of vengeance.
There is no need for the Holy Spirit to speak to us about “times and the seasons.” We know, as believers, perfectly well that “the day of the Lord” is coming. And we also know from Christ’s teaching that no man knows when He will come. He will come unexpectedly as a “thief in the night.”
Let me close by giving you, as a believer, a thought of encouragement. As we noted in our last blog, the Holy Spirit promised that we will be raptured out of this world before God unleashes His wrath. Because of our faith in Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, we will not suffer judgment on that great day. Instead, we will enjoy the bounties of Heaven until the moment Christ does return. At His return, we will return with Him enjoying His victory over the armies and nations of the earth. We know the “times and the seasons” before His great day. We may even be living in those days. Sin and wickedness indeed abound. Such things should not cause fear in the believer’s heart. Instead, it should increase our confidence in God’s Word and its promises. Soon, and very soon, the trumpet will sound. We will be out of here. Then, the “day of the Lord” will commence.